Cage
by smashingmolko
Summary: He's locked away and she's his key to freedom. Neji wants to believe there's more to life than the confinement of being a Branch member, he knows that if Hinata became head of their clan that the tyrannical rule the Main branch has over him will end, but so does the clan; and they want nothing more than for the two of them to fail. NejixHinata


**Cage.****  
**  
Chapter one:  
Reverie**.  
**

**A/N I dedicate this story to a passionate impulse and a strong desire to share with you something beautiful, something heart-wrenching and something I can hopefully be proud of. This chapter is only a short one, the following afterwards will be much longer, consider this just the prologue. **

_"If I could tear you from the ceiling,  
I know the best have tried.  
I'd fill your every breath with meaning,  
and find a place we both could hide."  
- Blind_

xXx

"Stop crying."

She wouldn't, or rather, she couldn't. His words were cold and as sharp as ice. Like a thick blanket of water, drowning and suffocating her.  
There had to be some arrangement of words, something he could say to calm the situation and to ease her painful sobs.

His demands were ineffectual. It was his sympathy she craved; his soft words, his gentle encouragement.

"I-I am sorry!"

Apologizing. Sobbing. A pathetic, trembling mess. He hated her. He hated how much value her life had over his; he was a genius and a prodigy, yet his only purpose was to serve this shameless girl.

She _had _to stop crying. They had been gone for too long now, they were expected to return to the Hyuga compound before dark, and if she returned in a state he would be punished.  
She did not seem to know there were repercussions far worse than a stern scolding and a cold shoulder.

She did not seem to realize that he was the one who truly paid for her incompetence.

When she had confronted him about training he hadn't realized just how much closer he would be to danger. He initially believed if he could control her; build her into something worthy of her title, of being an heiress, then he would be protected and the punishments would stop.

His Uncle could be proud of both of them.

As piercing as his pain was, he knew that if Hinata were to lead their clan he would, to some degree, be safe.  
She was compassionate and warm hearted. Even though that was exactly what he despised of her, it was the one thing that gave him hope.

_Hope._

Hope was not something he relied on. It did no good to dwell on dreams when reality was so much closer.

He had dared to peak but made sure to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground, for fear was what reminded him of who he was and what he was fated to be.

"Hinata-Sama, crying and apologizing will not help the situation, control yourself."

His voice was lower this time; sincere, kind, and she responded to it with one last timid sniffle before drying her eyes with the back sleeve of her sleeve.  
Neji knelt beside her and asked her to stretch out her legs which she hugged tightly to her chest.

She complied with some discomfort and carefully Neji was able pull up the leg of her pants and inspect her wound.  
She cried out in pain as he revealed a profound gash, nothing short of impressive, that very nearly matched the length of her shin.

It thinned out towards the beginning and end of the wound but the center was thick and gaping. A steady stream of blood trickled down her pale leg and began to pool onto the grass beneath her.

There was no hiding this; he had severely injured the eldest daughter of the head household and the consequences were serious.

"N-Nii-san, p-please help me."

She whimpered. She didn't want to cause any trouble and she certainly didn't want to appear weak in-front of him, of all people, but she couldn't calm herself down.  
No matter how she tried, tears streamed freely down her porcelain cheeks and she knew she was making things harder for him.

She could see it; his pearl eyes were wide with horror and his breathing hitched tightly when he saw it.

He had done this.

He was supposed to be training her, helping her grow and watching over her. _Protecting her_, and still; he had done this.

It started off as light sparring.

After a successful week of exercise, fine-tuning and precision training, sparring had been Hinata's reward and more than that, her opportunity to execute her progress and impress him.  
The two of them were so caught up in their reckless dance that he couldn't tell; he didn't know just how hard he was pushing her. She didn't let on that she couldn't keep up with him, she was too eager to impress.

Now, with her back against a tree, she was sprawled before him and she knew that he would be the one to pay for her silence, her carelessness.

In the moments passed a deadly silence fell upon them and with horror and fear the two of them wordlessly blamed themselves. They felt ashamed, they felt self-pity, and they felt a deep regret that neither of them could possibly express to the other.

"_Crying and apologizing will not help the situation."_

Had he not berated her moments before? Was his own emotion, his anger at himself, not hindering him from helping her?  
She was in no real danger. She would not bleed to death. She had not lost a limb or died, in fact a few days bed rest and she would be ready to resume her training without a problem.

So why was the air so thick and so ominous? Why did he hesitate to dress her wounds and carry her home? Why did hopelessness so black and heavy enthrall them in a paralyzing trance?

Because his punishment would not be implemented out of anger and love for the fragile heiress; it would serve to keep them at bay and ensure their positions at the bottom of the tree in a display of dominance and of triumph.

For every time Hinata grew, Hiashi would cut her down. It was no favor that Hinabi was favored, not only by her father but by the majority of the Hyuga clan.

Since the beginning of their training Hinata had grown stronger and far more confident in herself. Under his wing she had blossomed.  
She had yet to earn the good graces of her scornful clan however, and some days, she believed even Neji looked down at her.

She had worked hard to earn even the smallest amount of respect and now, chest heaving and gently weeping, she knew she had lost it.

It was so easy for him to hate her.

For every instance where she let him down she had to start over again and push herself even harder.  
Every time he opened up to her Hiashi would be there, as cold and unmoving as a rock; heavy over their hearts.

"Right."

Neji knew he could sit still no longer. They were losing light. All he could do was his duty, heal her and return her home safely.  
He reached into her pouch and collected some ointment and bandages.

"This part stings."

She nodded, eyes squeezed tightly shut and waited for the harsh burning. She knew well it would hurt but his words were comforting and as he dressed her wound she focused her attention on his soft touch.

"T-thank you Nii-san."  
"Let's head back."

Without another word he picked her up and the two made their journey home in silence.

**xXx**

Hinata had cut in on his defense before Hiashi had the chance to lose his cool. To Neji's surprise, Hiashi had said nothing beyond asking for an explanation.  
Did he not care?

He had been put on the duty of nursing his younger cousin which he aversely accepted without complaint.  
She had not asked for much and it wasn't long after dinner that she fell asleep, leaving Neji with the rest of the evening to do as he pleased.

As he silently slipped out of her room, making sure to close the door with an inaudible click, he was greeted by his Uncle, who had waited for him patiently.  
It was his eyes that Neji saw first; cold and unremitting.

It was then that he knew he had not escaped.

He gave a nod, a small gesture of understanding, and then he was lead out of the Main household into the unforgiving emptiness of the Branch House before the others were done with their duties and returned to their chambers to rest.

"Neji."

He finally spoke. His voice was stern. A bitter cold fear swam through the young Hyuga's veins and he accepted without resistance.  
Neji knelt before his leader with his head bowed.

Before his anticipation could get the better of him a surging pain shot through his body. It boiled in his blood and his twisted and jerked, trying to get away from himself.  
He felt his skin tighten and had he been unable to move, unable to even cry out in pain, he would have tried to claw it off.

It seemed like a life time before it stopped and he fell limply onto the cold hard wooden floor.

"U-uncle."  
"Return to your room Neji. Your presence is no longer needed tonight."

Hiashi left, his retreating back grew distant from Neji's spot; low on the ground. He coughed and more pain flooded his weakened body.  
It took him a while to find the strength to lift himself.

Through some miracle he made it to his bed where he collapsed and began to sob.

**xXx**

Neji lay on his side, tired but wide awake.

He faced his door and watched as it slowly swung open and shut in a rhythmic tap, in time with the breathing of the wind that skulked in from his window that sat slightly ajar.

It irritated him, more than it should have, but his body refused to make the effort to shut it.  
His memory was vivid, and it came in unwanted flashes. The pain was still there too like underlining static electricity humming calmly beneath his skin.

This was his price; the price he paid for being alive. This was his punishment for having been born.

As he closed his eyes and prayed for sleep he wondered – was this really his fate? Was this who he was meant to be, a slave for the Main Branch living in fear, isolation and hatred?  
He could escape. He could not run. He could not leave. He had no free will.

He didn't want to think about it. It was his reality, but it did not have to be with him when he was dreaming.

Instead he chose to focus on the dull thudding of his door and soon it was not an annoyance but rather a lulling comfort.

'_There has to be more than this. This is no way to live.'_

**xXx**


End file.
